Until last week I had never flown by Ryan Air. I had just assumed that all low cost air lines were very similar. Wrong.

In fact I remain surprised today how wrong I could be.

Let me use some words to describe my experience with Ryan Air: -

• Miserable staff
• Horrible planes
• Plastic covered seats

Flying with Easyjet seemed like flying first class when compared to my flight with Ryan Air.

My lesson has been learnt – pay a little more for an Easyjet flight and enjoy the experience.

I also wonder how Ryan Air can boast such wonderful arrival and departure times – I have to conclude that just maybe they over estimate their journey times to make it appear that you have arrived early!

And while I am on the subject lets not even mention the annoying inflight announcments you get on Ryan Air – all far to self congratulory for my liking.

Even despite the above it was an enjoyable and producitve week – Malaga Tuesday and Belfast Thursday.

Enjoy your week.

Richard

The rise of the internet in recent years has seen some major changes in the way that we can buy caravan insurance.

There are specialists who can provide competitive touring and static caravan insurance quotes both online or over the ‘phone. All you have to do is provide a few answers to some basic questions about your caravan, its contents, how and where you use it and what – if any – measures you take to protect it from theft and vandalism.

Caravan motor insurance is no different to any other type in that premium costs are very much related to perceptions of risk level. The more risky the insurance providers think the situation is, the higher the premium – or to put it another way, the more the insurance costs.

You may have found that the cost of your home insurance fell when you installed a security alarm system or deadlock bolts.

You may pay less for your car insurance if you keep it in a garage or on your own property rather than on the public highway.

The same may hold true for caravan insurance for both touring and static models. You may find for example that cheap caravan insurance can be found if you take some basic steps to reduce risk.

Keep your caravan safe when it is not in use

There are a number of recognised sites known as CaSSoA sites where statistics show that caravans are less likely to suffer from theft or vandalism. Insurance providers may offer discounts if you use one of these sites.

Secure your caravan from theft

If you have a touring caravan it is vulnerable to theft. Wheel clamps and a hitchlock can help protect your caravan. You may also find that many insurers will only provide you with caravan insurance if you agree to use such security measures, so do check what your obligations will be.

Join a caravan or touring club

Demonstrating that you are a responsible and serious caravan owner by joining a recognised association or club may earn you some discounts on your premiums.

Static caravan locations

If you park you static caravan in a location which is liable to flooding or which has a bad past record of problems with insurance claims, you could see your premiums rise. Many insurance providers now use postcodes in their risk assessment and may discount premiums if you chose a safe location.

No claims discount

You may find that some insurance providers will take your ‘no claims’ statistics from your other insurance like home contents and car insurance, for example, into account when calculating the premiums for your caravan. The theory being that if you are careful and responsible in other walks of life the same will hold true for your caravan.

So, if you are looking caravan insurance, remember that the safer it is, typically the lower the premiums will be!

Good morning All

Well to be honest this must have been one of the quickest weeks I can remember, we have continued our planning for the busy season and the weeks figures are not too bad. We have noticed as the weather has (slowly) gotten better that the number of enquiries and sales has increased with it.

Not much going on during my weekend, as it’s near the end of the month money is very tight for all of us. I will be going to Argos tomorrow to return a shredder and making up some food for my son from scratch with fresh ingredients. The reason is that buying baby food is so expensive, and I think it will just as good for him and we can make up plenty of food and freeze it. That’s planning! Arsenal play in the Cup on Sunday so I imagine it will be very nerve wracking as that’s the way the season seems to be going. Dagenham are at Shrewsbury tomorrow and my family are going to it as they are hardy souls.

Well whatever the weekend brings I hope it is an enjoyable and pleasant one.

Happy touring

Mike

Caravan and motor home shows – don’t ya just love em!

These really are some of the great events of the year. It’s a chance to see what the market is doing, meet other similar owners, share experiences and get some new ideas. Many of us have met people and made firm friends at events like this.

There’s also something about caravan and motor home shows that says ‘summer’. It doesn’t matter if they’re being held in winter or on a cold spring day, just to see lots of vans, equipment and like-minded people around can get that sense of the open air lifestyle, barbeques and holidays coursing through the veins. Ok, they can’t change the immediate temperature or stop it raining but they can help you feel as if summer’s a lot closer than it maybe in reality is!

Of course, sometimes the entertainment at caravan and motor home shows (liquid and otherwise!) can help the feelings grow! Not that we would every try and persuade people to attend for such coarse reasons!

So, “what’s coming up?” we hear you asking?

Well, forgive us for banging the drum a little about the UK Motorhome & Caravan Spring Fair , which is being held at the Newark Showground in Nottinghamshire on March 27th & 28th. This is going to be a fantastic event for one and all interested in caravans and caravanning.

We’re proud to be the sponsors of the Fair and here is just a sample of some of the happenings over the weekend:

• over 150 indoor and outdoor trade stands:
• a craft fair and opportunities for various forms of family entertainment;
• a great daytime ‘carvery’ restaurant;
• free parking for cars;
• children under 14 can get in for free.

Of course we know that not everyone will be able to get there and there are some other caravan and motor home shows on the radar in other parts of the country.

The big one is of course the The Scottish Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Show being held at the SECC in Glasgow from the 4th to the 7th of February. This is a huge event filling no less than four of the vast halls of the SECC and covering just about every single component of the caravanning and outdoor leisure business.

For those of you that don’t know the area, you could perhaps use the opportunity to both visit the show and explore some of the stunning countryside and scenery that’s relatively close-by. OK, it may not be warm, it’s in February after all, but if you get a sunny day the views can be spectacular.

So, whether you’re a seasoned caravan and motor home shows veteran or someone thinking about it for the first time – why not make the effort to come along? You may find that not only do you learn a lot but you could also find some bargains and enjoy yourself in the process.

Good morning All

I hope you had a good weekend, mine was very quiet and I spent most of Saturday in the kitchen and feeding my son his lunch, a delicious tomato and pasta meal. Needless to say it went everywhere!!! He is a very messy eater but at least he has an appetite for new things, he now has 2 square meals a day plus his milk.

The weekend’s go so fast that it’s scarcely believable that Monday is here, currently looking like it will be a quiet week as apart from some training nothing is in my diary. This will change I can assure you! February is looking busy as I am attending the NEC Show in Birmingham, going to Nottingham to visit insurers and have a meeting with another insurer here. And Valentine’s Day!

Still, Arsenal and Dagenham won their respective matches at the weekend which took away the disappointment of England’s abject collapse in the Fourth Test yesterday.

I hope you all have a good week.

Happy touring

Mike